Stranger at the Door: When Crime Patrol Prepared Me for Everything but This

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Let me paint the scene for you.

It’s a quiet Saturday evening. The kind of evening where you are all relaxed in your pajamas, your hair is doing things even gravity doesn’t understand, and you’ve just committed to “one more episode” that’s going to spiral into more binge watching. The only sound is the gentle hum of your fridge and the faint judgment of your streaming service asking if you’re still watching (Yes, Netflix I am. Let me live).

Then it happens – ‘The knock’. A knock that sends your soul straight into fight-or-flight mode.

Let’s be honest, in 2025 nobody shows up unannounced anymore. If you’re not on the calendar or at least part of a very active group chat, you might as well be an international fugitive.

Who knocks without texting first? A serial killer. That’s who.

So there you are frozen!!! TV paused, breath held, pizza slice mid-air. You’re mentally cycling through the possibilities:

  • Delivery? Nope, you ordered and already mourned about the sad packing and spillage
  • Neighbor? Unlikely. You’ve lived next to them for two years and haven’t made a conversation other than the fake smile when bumping into each other.

You tiptoe to the peephole like you're in an espionage thriller. Heart pounding. The hallway light is on. The silhouette moves slightly. It’s... a human. Possibly. Hard to say.

And suddenly, you're evaluating your own life choices:

  • Why don’t I own a peephole camera?
  • Why didn’t I listen to my dad and put additional locks on the door?
  • Why did I once say out loud, “If I die, I hope it's after have my favorite food”?

The knock comes again. Louder. Bolder. Almost... judgmental.

You do the only thing logical.
You switch off the lights, drop to the floor, crawl behind the couch and silently Google: “what to do if someone knocks and you weren’t emotionally prepared.”

Eventually, the knocking stops. The shadow disappears. You wait a respectful 15 minutes before peeking outside like a Victorian ghost. There’s no one there — just a harmless flyer wedged into the doorframe for “Affordable broadband connecting.”

And just like that, your evening takes a turn. You’re no longer watching a psychological thriller — you are the psychological thriller.

Moral of the story - Always text before knocking and maybe install a camera.

 

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